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Hiro sighed. He didn't want to move back to Japan. Living in Amerika since he was four and having to go back before being able to finish his last year of high school was pure torture. And leaving his big breasted blonde California girlfriend was worst of all. He hated Asian girls. All of the Japanese girls he had met were annoying and even more vapid than Amerikan girls. At least Cindy was trying to be smart.
“Hurry up, Hiro. We have to go.”
“Can't I stay here to finish school? I have enough saved up to pay rent on a place,” he grumbled as he walked down to the first floor, littered with packed boxes to be loaded into a waiting cargo box.
“No!” his mother replied, sharply. She turned away from him and looked over her list one more time. She didn't want to go over this again.
His stepfather nodded at him absentmindedly as he walked outside and stared at the empty spot where his Z06 had once sat. Taking it over would have cost too much. He had nearly a million yen since he had put so many upgrades into it, but he was going to miss the car, even if he could afford a better one in Japan since his stepfather had promised to pay half since it was his fault they were moving back. He sighed and his stepfather said, "Hiro, how about we play catch one more time?" His stepfather loved baseball.
"No thanks, Kamon."
Hiro's taxi soon appeared and the driver placed his bags in the trunk. He was going to Japan first and spending two weeks with family while his parents went on the ship with their belongings.
Hesitantly, he checked his pockets for his wallet, passport, and found he had everything he needed.
When he arrived, he hard a voice call out, "Hiro! Hiro?!"
Hiro turned and saw it was Cindy. She rushed into his arms and covered his face with kisses. "I only have a minute. I just wanted to say goodbye. Daddy is expecting me at the club. I'll miss you. I'll visit, I promise."
He nodded and watched her head towards her chauffeur. Quite sure he would never see her again, he turned and grabbed his bags, then headed towards the window he needed to.
He was halfway through the crowd to where his bags were when a small girl parted the crowds and looked up at him with wide open eyes. "Are you Hiro-shi? You look like his pictures."
Hiro looked at the little girl, wondering about the honorific she had tacked on to his name. He was fluent in Nipponese but he didn't know that one. Guess I'm not as fluent as I thought I was, he thought to himself.
"Yes, I'm Hiro. You're... Kana?" he asked, unable to remember the name at first. Cute, he thought. She looks like Cana's daughter. A friend of his mother's.
"Yes," she said in badly accented English, then continued in Japanese. "Mama and daddy are over there," she told him, grabbing onto his hand and pulling.
"Hold on. I need my bags," he told her.
She grabbed his second largest bag and he had to bite his tongue not to laugh as she tried to carry it. It held his DVDs and some books and was the heaviest bag he had.
She led him to a waiting couple and he had to admit, Kana's mom, Hinata, was hot. She had a white sheer blouse on over a light blue bra under a white jacket and skirt with very fine fishnet hose on with white three inch heels on. Hiro was barely able to pull his eyes off of her semi-visible cleavage and gave a short bow. He wasn't used to Japanese culture.
Hiro followed them to their car, watching his sixth cousin's bottom sway in her skirt. He tried to stop and said, "I'm sorry, what?"
"Are you hungry?" her husband, Yojin asked.
"Um, I am a bit, actually."
"Great. We have reservations at a wonderful family restaurant."
Yojin pulled into a parking lot as Kana asked, "What are you going to go to school for?"
"Nothing. In sixteen months, I get my full inheritance. My father didn't want me to be the stereotypical Japanese kid. When he died, I got all the money. He told me to start my own business or be an heir, not a wage slave."
"Really?" she twisted her hands then asked, "Will you buy me the new Pocket Monster game?"
Her father reprimanded her as Hiro smirked. "Well, I should do something for all of you since I am staying with you."
She smiled and hugged his arm, then slid out as her mother lifted the seat, her garter straps visible as she helped her daughter out, then fixed her skirt.
Inside, they were seated right away, then spent the next hour talking about what his life in Amerika had been like, Hinata not speaking much but seeming to lean over more than needed as Kana hung on every word Hiro spoke.
As she walked into the bedroom, she kicked off her thin slippers and sat on the bed, unbuttoning the blouse she slept in. She didn't like it closed since it felt like it was going to choke her.
She slid into the bed and fell into sleep quickly, dreaming about taking her own lover.
Hiro opened his eyes and yawned, then got up, wincing. He got out of the somewhat uncomfortable bed and walked to the door, then headed to the bathroom he was sharing with Kana.
He sighed in pleasure as he emptied his bladder, then used a bit of wetted toilet paper to wipe himself off then washed his hands. He walked back to his room then stopped in front of Hinata's bedroom. He looked in since the door was open and was surprised to see a sliver of light from the window reveal her dark nipple.
"Damn," he murmured. "Yojin's an idiot for not being here with her."
He continued back to his room and slowly stroked himself as he thought about her breasts. They were bigger than he had thought. "She must wear minimizer bras or something," he murmured.
"Hiro-Shi," Kana called out in a sing-song voice, skipping, her white panties visible every time she went up. Hiro had looked up shi and found out it meant an honorific for someone you didn't really know. She also occasionally called him Onii-chan though she seemed to prefer calling him Hiro-shi.
He ignored her. She kept giggling every time he asked her what she wanted.
Sliding his phone into his pocket, he started walking faster to catch up with her.
Inside the bookstore, Kana made her way to the picture books while he looked around, realizing exactly how bad he was at reading Kanji at that moment.
As one of the employees walked by, he asked, "Where are the books on 2JZ-GTE engines and modifying them?"
The elderly man pointed and offered to show Hiro. He declined and gave a short bow of thanks then walked over.
When Kana came and found him holding her purchases, he had three books and a half-dozen magazines advertising modifications and the like. They paid for their products then walked out, stopping to get Kana a Bubble Tea while Hiro bought four Bento for lunch. He hadn't eaten breakfast and knew he would eat two while he had promised to bring Hinata lunch. Yojin was away on business in Singapore.
Kana sang along loudly to her iPod shuffle as she skipped along, her bag swinging in a wide arc as Hiro tried not to laugh. His long stride kept up with her easily as he occassionally looked at one of the copies of Option he had bought, having a bit of trouble reading the Kanji.
"Hey, Kana?"
"Yes, Onii-chan?"
"You like cars?"
"Uh-huh. Some day I want a BMW Z8."
He resisted rolling his eyes. "You like Tuners?"
"You mean like that car across the street from Nana-chan's?" Her friend's neighbor had a heavily modified Lancer.
"Yeah."
"It's ugly."
"So, you like sleepers better? Cars that look normal but have better engines?"
She thought about it then nodded happily, slipping the earbud she had taken out back in.
When they arrived at the house, Hinata waved happily as she watered flowers then followed them in the house, wiping some loam off on her thin sundress. Hiro turned to look back and the sun caught her perfectly, showing the lines of her white lingerie under the pale amber dress. Hot, he thought, turning back after returning her smile.
Hinata sat down and and Kana climbed into her lap, showing her her brand new picture books, chattering excitedly as Hiro put the food on the table then took his books up to his room.
A note was on his pillow. His parents had called. A rough storm had pushed their ship off course. They were still seven days out after four days of him being in Japan alone.
He walked down the stairs and Hinata asked, "Did you see my note?" as her daughter stuck her tongue out at him and pulled her eyelid down with her finger.
Hiro laughed. "You ready to eat? I'm starving."
They nodded and Kana slid off her mother's lap then danced into the kitchen, only slowing to poke him in the side. Hinata smiled winningly and as she walked past, he looked down and saw her bra underneath her dress.
He tried to shake the thought off but was drawn to stare at her bottom, the dress stuck to her either by sweat or static electricity. She swung her hips divinely and Hiro knew he was going to have to find a new girlfriend fast.
Hinata set out a setting of silverware for him as Kana giggled at his lack of skills with chopsticks. Her mother admonished her then turned to set out the pitcher of iced tea and glasses.
Kana was finished first and asked, "Mommy, can I have some Umai Bō?"
Hinata nodded and Kana ran off to a low shelf, opened it, took a handful of the candy, then left one for Hiro and ran off to play her GameCube.
"So, do you have a girlfriend?" Hinata asked, pouring herself another glass of tea.
"Kind of." Taking out his wallet, he showed her the picture.
"Ooh, an Amerikan. You two sex?"
Hiro blushed then nodded. "Yeah." Before he could start his next sentence, Hinata asked, "Are her breasts real?" The picture was of the two on the beach and Cindy was in a stars & stripes pretzel maillot, a sheer blue sarong around her waist.
"Umm, yea."
"So, you like big breasts?"
"Uhh, well, I guess I like any kind of breast," he replied after a moment of thought. "It's really more the person attached to them."
Hinata smiled and handed the photo back. "Are you done?"
He pushed the empty tray over and attacked the second, then realized it had Umeboshi in it. "Uggh, you want those?"
She nodded and snagged them with her chopsticks, then bit into one. Red liquid pooled on her lips for a split second, then dribbled off, splattering on the bare table in front of her. The liquid semi-formed 愛(the katakana for love if it doesn't show up. -Writer) and Hinata stared at it, then dashed off. When she returned, she took a photo of it with her digital camera, then began cleaning rapidly, humming and ignoring Hiro as he finished.
He was scraping up the last bit of rice when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning, he saw Kana and she asked, "Come play with me?"
"Um, well, I was going to go look at cars." He had put his money in the bank account his stepfather had opened and had found a million yen in it already. Kamon had matched what he had made off his car instead of making him wait for them to arrive. He had an international driver's permit and his own from home.
"Oh, can I go? Please, please, please?"
"Sorry, dear, but you have dance lessons in twenty minutes."
Kana pouted and he ruffled her hair as he stood then headed up to shower and change into a suit.
Hiro was fastening his tie when Kana pushed his door open and dropped onto his bed. "Mommy said she would take you shopping for cars, if you wanted. To help make sure there are no problems."
"Sure. Hand me my gel." He was getting used to having a 'little sister' around. She was annoying on occasion, but still amusing.
As he artfully styled his hair, Hinata knocked on the door, then looked in. "Are you ready, Kana? Coming Hiro?"
"Yeah, just finished." He slid his wallet in his breast pocket and wiped his hands clean on a cloth he kept by the mirror for that reason. When he turned, he saw Hinata hand changed into a Elie Saab suit with an almost too short skirt. He only recognized the designer since his mother loved it, owning three gowns from him and dragging him to his fashion shows twice.
Outside the house, Kana danced to the car, singing engrish lyrics to a Britney Spears song as she listened to her iPod.
In the car, after they had dropped off Kana, he noticed her skirt had slid up more, revealing the top of a thigh high. Hiro was starting to wonder if Hinata was trying to signal something or was just flirty. He decided to pay more attention to her from then on.
"What kind of car are you looking for?"
"Well, a Mark Four Supra. I have a list of used car places that said they had models in."
She looked at it and nodded.
At the first lot, Hinata stayed close so he could smell her perfume and was glad of how his suit laid. He passed on both of the cars and they went to the next lot. Three hours later in Oume, he found the perfect car and did the paperwork, then went to the nearest outlet of his bank and received a certified check for two hundred thirty thousand yen.
Finally, Hiro slid behind the wheel of his car as Hinata left to pick up Kana.
At the house, he found that Yojin was back but only for a few moments. He looked harried and gave a perfunctory acknowledgment then left, getting into his Lexus LS 400.
He sat down in front of his laptop and flipped it open, then waited as his OS booted. His finger on a smoked glass plate signed him into the correct partition and he sighed as he studied the blueprints on the screen. A blast of rapid fire typing and Hanfuri Hiro was added to a very short list.
"Forgive me, Kane," he whispered. If Hiro were chosen, his wife would kill him if she ever found out what he truly did. And if Hiro were injured, she would find out.
"If you don't get up, I'll kiss you," she told him, then roared.
"Why?"
"Because today's a day for Hanami. You promised to take me. And I got a new kimono and everything."
He grinned and rolled over. She pouted then made good on her threat, more moving her messy face over his neck and cheek than kissing, then giggling and running off as he jumped from the bed to give chase.
Hiro went back to his room, got his kimono for the day, then went to get cleaned up. When he was finished showering and dressed, he left the bathroom and found Kana waiting for him in her kimono.
"Are you ready?" she asked hopefully.
"Just need to fix my hair and grab my wallet."
She followed him into his room and watched him tousle his hair then put his wallet in the obi of his kimono as he looked at his black and dark purple kimono. "How do I look?"
"Handsome," she told him, then blushed. She had a minor crush on him.
When they walked into the kitchen, they found Hinata in her own white and lavender Kimono. She smiled at them then chuckled when Kana said, "You match Onii-chan, mommy. And you look beautiful."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
She blushed deeply when Hiro said, "She's right. You do look beautiful."
"I wish daddy was here," Kana said, leading them towards her mother's car. Hinata didn't hear her as she thought about what Hiro had said and how she was staving off the impulse to mount him in her front garden.
Hinata felt a flash of jealousy as she watched Hiro flirt with a girl at a booth selling fresh made pocky. She knew she shouldn't. But at the same moment, she was trying to figure out some way to sleep with him without anyone finding out. Hinata smiled at him as he came back and handed her a bundle of pocky in wax paper. "She was pretty."
Hiro looked back at the girl. She had blonde streaks in her black hair and too much makeup. "Eh. Not my type. She looks like she wants to be Ganguro."
Hinata laughed at that and he wanted to say she was more his type but chickened out.
Hiro was waiting by the restrooms as she used them later, idly playing a game that helped him practice his reading of Kana(In this instance, Kana means the alphabets of Katakana and Hirakana and not the name(which is actually a boy's name meaning powerful. Yojin really wanted a boy. The Dick.) -Author). Hinata was walking towards him and didn't notice a root sticking up through the ground. Her sandals caught in it and she staggered into Hiro, caught his kimono, then accidentally pulled him down on top of her.
Hiro froze. His phone was off to his right. His left hand was trapped under Hinata but his right was in between them, firmly on her breast. She was staring into his eyes like a trapped kitten. He was wishing his dick wasn't jutting into her thigh at that moment.
Hinata blinked, then licked her lips and kissed him.
Hiro froze as her lips connected with his. He hadn't meant to kiss her. The compulsion had just overtaken him.
They broke apart and he helped her to her feet. His phone was ringing and his face was bright red. She grabbed the phone and breathlessly said, "Moshi, Moshi. Hai. Hai. Stay there, we'll be right there."
She started off, fixing her kimono as Hiro adjusted his and followed her rapid pace, wondering how he was going to apologize for fondling and kissing her, not realizing she was the one who had initiated the kiss.
"It's alright. Let's see," she murmured, ignoring him now and looking at her list. She yelled at the workers. "The boxes with the red circles need to go to the house first! Then the rest in this order." She handed the list to the foreman and they spent a few minutes deciding what went where.
Kamon watched for a second, then got into the back seat of the limo with government plates on it. Inside, a general in the JSDF and two government agents nodded. "Welcome back, Sensei Zenaku," the elder agent said. They had gone to school together but he had become a professor the last year while the agent had continued as a student. Kamon gave a tight smile and nodded then took the folder they held out for him.
As the car drove away, he read the data, occasionally folding out updated blueprints.
"How far along is prototype Mentat?"
"It was just finished, doctor," the general said. "We've begun building prototype Zensunni."
"What of prototype Wandering Katana and prototype Grandmother Hag?"
"Work has begun on them as well," stated the general before turning and rolling down the window between them and the driver. "How far out are we?"
"Forty minutes, sir."
"Speed it up. Tell the cops to hit the sirens."
"Yes, sir."
As the limo sped up, Kamon rocked, then flipped to the last page and unfolded it down. The page was actually seven long with extremely small writing. He still wasn't finished when they arrived a half hour later. The agent took the folder back and placed it in a briefcase, then stepped out of the limo. When they were all out, Kamon looked around at the wilderness they were in, then headed towards the small building with signs on it saying it was a Parks Service outbuilding.
The general pressed his hand against a mirror when they were inside and gestured for Kamon to press his against metal panel. As he did so, three lights began flashing red as the General said, "New personnel identification."
After a few moments, the lights stopped flashing and glowed a steady orange, then turned green. A smooth computerized voice said, "Welcome to Outbound Rumble, Doctor Zenaku."
An opening in the floor spiraled out and an escalator was revealed. Stepping aboard, the escalator carried them down as the opening spiraled close, returning to its look as a drain.
Fifty meters down, they stepped off the escalator and walked down an immense hall, stopping in front of double doors. They could hear sounds behind them and looked in. Two gentlemen were overseeing two young children fighting as four more looked on, all female except one and ranging from ten to fourteen while the male was twelve.
The fight was ended as they watched and the children were pointed towards large flight simulators.
"Why Hiro?" Kamon asked as the children got into the simulators.
"He's been shown to have leadership abilities and children like him," the younger agent told him. They kept track of everyone that came into contact with those who were part of the project. "And he's a humanist, not a nationalist."
The general rolled his eyes. The Outbound Rumble project was very different from what the Self Defense Force had once had to do. He walked off and found the command center, then walked in. Massive screens showed tracking information. The fleet was a year and a half away. The war was a day less than that away.
As she hugged him hello, she said, “Bad news, dear. The place we were supposed to get is being torn down. We had to buy a place near here that only has a one car garage. Can you work on your car in that?”
He nodded. Kana came down the stairs, holding her stuffed bunny Hiro had won for her and wearing her pajamas. She was supposed to be in bed but was still excited from the day at the festival.
“So, Hiro wasn't any problem, was he?” his mother asked Hinata.
Before she could speak, Kana piped up, “Onii-chan is the best.”
Kane laughed and walked over then picked her up. “So, you're Kana, huh?”
Kana nodded and asked, “Are you the one who makes really bad curry?”
Hiro looked away, wincing. “I make good curry,” she said.
“But Hiro-shi said his mom made bad curry,” Kana reiterated as her mother smirked.
“So, uh, I'm just gonna go make sure I packed everything.” He escaped up the stairs as Hinata and Kane went into the kitchen for tea and to catch up. His mother had used to babysit Hinata.
“Yeah. It's going to be built on the inside and sleeper on the outside except for a flat black hood, new wheels and a better wing.”
She smiled and patted his knee. “Your dad would be so happy.” His father had been the number one man in car customizing until he had died in a plane wreck. They had sold off the shop and his father's name for seven million dollars alone. The insurance payouts had been almost that much not including the inheritance, most of which went to Hiro.
He smiled then asked, “How was the trip?”
“Like a second honeymoon.”
“Ewww.”
His mother laughed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “So, how would a little sister sound to you?”
“Uh, like a crying and screaming mess for the first few years, then slowly more fun. You're pregnant?”
“Possibly, though it might have been the stress of moving.”
“Congrats. Kinda,” he said, then she told him to turn right. He pulled up in front of a house where movers were finishing up then pulled up to the garage. It was small but still big enough to work in since it was actually big enough to pull two cars in one after another.
“Yeah, that should work.”
“I had them leave your stuff in the hallway so you could decide which room you wanted. All four of the upstairs rooms are the same size but have slightly different layouts. One has a nice nook for a desk.”
“Eh.” They walked inside and he saw that most of their downstairs furniture was already setup. “How long until we have internet access?”
“There's a wireless node we can piggyback on until our connection is setup next week.”
He nodded and thanked her for the Bento plate she handed him then walked upstairs to look at the rooms. He ate with a spork as he debated between the four rooms. Even though he would only be living there for a little more than a year, he decided on the room farthest from the stairs. The other rooms would be their computer room and guest room and a library that would also display the model cars his father had built, all models based on cars he had made and one he had built based on his Z06.
Hiro began moving his things in, slowly assembling his bed and desk and the modular Ikea crap his mother had bought for him. A few hours later, his room was completed and filled.
He looked at his clothing. Suits and regular teenager's clothing that Amerikans would wear. I'm going to have to buy some more Jap-based clothing, he decided.
His mother appeared at his door and said, “Kamon will be back in about an hour. You going to be up?”
“I dunno. Probably. I'm going to outfit the garage and move my car in.”
She nodded and followed him out of his room and down the stairs but went into the kitchen to make something quick for Kamon to eat when he got home.
Hiro opened boxes and nailed units to the wall, slowly getting his tools put away, hung in their correct place or stored in his massive tool boxes.
When it was all put away, he began stripping off the last of the things he needed to strip. Soon the hood, trunk lid, last of the interior carpeting and the steering wheel and column were soon laid out on the floor on a massive white blanket. He used a black Sharpie to write by each part their names so he knew if anything went missing later.
Hiro checked the time, then pulled his phone and made a call. A sleepy voice answered him. “Hello?”
“Hey, it's Hiro. I need a wind tunnel in Tokyo.”
“Hey, Hiro. Say hi to your mom for me. Uh, lemme see.” There was shuffling of paper then Hiro heard, “Call on Taksiyo Inoue. He and your dad were homeboys, always trading barbs and babes. Before he met your mom, of course.” He gave him the number then said goodnight. Hiro dropped his phone and looked at his car then began pulling parts off the engine, laying them out on another white blanket and marking where they were.
Hiro was walking to his bed to get some sleep when his phone rang. He looked at it and saw he had a text message. Hi. We need to talk. Meet me at the park behind my house tomorrow night at ten by the seesaws. -Hinata.
“Crap.” Hiro erased the message and dropped his clothing in a pile, then slid into bed.
He looked out and murmured, “Why?”
“I told her about your game collection last night. She wants to see it.”
“It's still boxed up,” he murmured then pulled the blankets back over his head. His muffled voice told her, “I'll have cereal later.”
Kane pulled the blankets off. “Get up, lazybones.”
Hiro sighed and sat up as she left the room. An abbreviated workout and a quick shower and he felt better then dressed in a pair of cargo shorts and a black tee. He thought about Hinata then pushed it out of his mind. When he got downstairs, he saw Kana sitting on the couch, playing her Gameboy, her knees up. He could tell her panties were pink and had yellow bunnies on them. “Hey, Kana-chan.”
She smiled at him. “Onii-chan. Kane-san said you would show me your XBox.”
“It's still packed and I actually have to do some work on my car.”
“Oh.” Disappointment showed on her face and he said, “But once I'm done with the car, I can unpack it. The television and switcher were already setup by the movers.”
“Okay.”
She slid off the couch and followed him to the kitchen. A thick stack of pancakes, eggs, and bacon were waiting and he loaded his plate as Kana put jam between two of the pancakes and ate it slowly as he ate fast. Kane set a cup of coffee in front of him, ruffled his hair, then sat across from him. “So, how do you feel about Japan now?”
“Well, I've seen three white people turned away from a club then I was let in, about fifty fucking pictures of Nazi memorabilia in contemporary cartoons, and some of the stupidest fashion trends. Still don't like it.”
“Don't curse in front of her and I'm sure you'll start to like it. The Nazi thing is disturbing,” she admitted.
When he was done, Kana followed him out, carrying two more pancake sandwiches. She sat on a box out of the way as he continued tearing apart the engine and then spent almost an hour getting the car up on blocks. When he was done, the car looked as if it had been left in Harlem too long without someone to watch over it. The only difference is his still actually had the transmission and engine block in it. Those would be coming out soon as it was. They needed to be blueprinted and machined to perfection. The block, if in perfect condition, was going to end up becoming a twelve hundred horsepower monster.
“I thought you were going to make it look normal,” she accused.
“I am but I still have lots of internal work to do. Come on, I'll hook up the game systems and you can look through my library of games.”
As she flipped through the Amaray cases that held the games, she asked, “Can I borrow this one?” She was holding up Pikmin 2.
“I don't think it'll work on your GameCube. Mine is an Amerikan GameCube while yours is Japanese.”
“Oh.” She continued flipping through then stopped on his DDR disc and asked, “Do you have a dancemat?”
He nodded and got it out of the room they were currently keeping the extra upstairs stuff.
As she played DDR, he began flipping through the magazines and making lists of items he was going to need.
Kane looked in and said, “Kana, your mom just called. She's going shopping and said you should stay here until she comes and picks you up.”
Panting, Kana nodded and went back to trying to break Hiro's score. DDR was his guilty pleasure. When people found out he had a pad and the games, he told them they were something he won and had just used them once to try out.
As she continued playing, he made calls, ordering the parts he needed.
A few hours later, Kana was playing Pikmin as a break from dancing, and Hiro was on hold when his stepfather walked in. Hiro nodded at him.
“Hey, Hiro. Hi, Kana.” He had met her when she arrived as he ate his breakfast. “I'm going car shopping tomorrow. You going to need a daily driver?”
“No, I'll use public transit,” then he put the mouthpiece of the phone back up. Eight minutes later he had ordered two large turbochargers and one small as well as one of the best intercoolers on the market. With the phone down, he said, “Though I could use a bike. Know where I should buy one?”
His father told him the name of a shop then headed to his room as Kane called up the stairs to let them know dinner was on the table.
When the plates were set on the table, Kana looked at the one in front of her and asked, “Um, what's this?” She used her fork, which she held awkwardly, to poke the lasagna. Her mother rarely made anything other than Japanese dishes.
“Lasagna,” Kane told her as her husband poured wine for himself, Kane, and Hiro. Kane poured juice for Kana and said, “It's like Okonomiyaki.”
“Oh.” She took a bite, then smiled and began eating faster as Hiro asked, “Have you seen my paintball gun? It wasn't in my stuff.”
“Hmm,” his stepfather thought. “I think it might have ended up in my stuff. I'll look for it as soon as I can. Do you need it now?”
“No, just wondering where it was.”
Kane smiled, then leaned over to whisper in her son's ear. “I am pregnant. Don't tell Kamon yet. I'm going to surprise him.”
Hiro nodded and thought about it. He liked Kamon. Sometimes he called him dad. But a small burr in the back of his mind said that Kamon wasn't Hanfuri Kenshin and he shouldn't have touched his mother. He shook it off. Kane was happy and he wanted his mother to be happy.
They were finishing dessert when the doorbell rang. Hiro was about to offer to get it when he realized it was probably Hinata and instead fingered his wine glass. “Can I have some more, dad?”
Kamon looked at the bottle and said, “Go ahead and finish it.”
Hiro filled his glass and took a sip as Kana came back into the room and hugged him, then skipped back to the sitting room where her mother and his were.
He began clearing the table and the message from the night before became the main topic in his mind. I just have to talk her into not telling mom, he decided.
“For a walk.”
“Alright, be safe. 110 is the number for police here.”
“I know, it's on speed dial nine.” All he had to do was hold down nine and it would dial.
Outside, he hesitated for a moment, then made his way to the park. The closer he got, the slower he found himself going.
Finally he entered the park and saw Hinata sitting on a bench. As he approached her, she turned, saw him, smiled then stood and walked quickly towards him. Before he could speak, she pulled on his tie to lower his head and kissed him. When her mouth opened, he forgot about his worry and slipped a hand under her shirt on her lower back.
Hinata pulled away and finally he asked, “You're not angry?”
“Why would I be angry?”
“But... I just kissed you.”
“No, I kissed you.”
“I mean at the Sakura festival.”
“Once again, that was me.”
His eyes went wide. “So? I didn't do anything wrong?”
She smiled wickedly. “Well, wrong, yes. But am I going to hold it against you? Only if you don't kiss me again.”
Hiro pulled her into a kiss, his hands much freer with movement as he moved one under her top, slowly moving up her body. Her hand dipped into his trousers and she stroked him, thinking about it being inside her. Pulling away, she looked around, then reached under her dress and pulled her panties down. She stuffed him into his jacket pocket began kissing him again, this time undoing his trousers and whispering into his ear, “I'm so wet for you.”
Hiro hesitated, knowing he didn't have a condom but decided to risk it.
They moved slowly backwards until they were out of the light pool and had her back against a tree. He lifted her up and her legs scissored around him, using her left hand to pull her dress up and out of the way. When his trousers hit his ankles, he aimed and felt himself slide into the hot-wet dampness as he kissed her. Slowly, he began thrusting in and out, covering her face and neck with kisses and light bites that wouldn't leave marks.
She thought about their age difference as well. She had married and had Kana when she was sixteen. Kana's birthday was actually two days before hers. It made her only a decade older than Hiro.
She finally fell asleep, hugging a spare pillow, dreaming she was holding onto Hiro.
“Yeah, I'm looking for a shop to do a blueprint and machine to an engine block. My dad's friends suggested this place.”
“Oh. Who are your dad's friends?”
Hiro rattled off three names of his father's former employees who were now some of the top men in tuning as he studied the visible area of the shop. The employee asked him to wait and walked off. A few minutes later, an older man appeared and smiled. “Hiro? Hanfuri Hiro? You look just like your dad. Except, his eyes were blue. I miss that man.”
Other employees looked up when they heard his name. “Good morning, sir.”
“Call me Piston. Your dad gave me that nickname. So, you need an engine done?”
“Yeah, I sold my Z06 before I came over and bought a Supra to soup up.”
“Wait, you mean the Zee-Oh-Oh-Seven?” one of the employees asked. Hiro nodded then said, “Basically, I just need someone to do the work I can't do in my shop. Fully clean the block, machine it, measure the tolerances,polish and port, and balance the rotating mass. I can tune the fuel injection and computer and polish the header.”
“I'm going to put aside my project and do this for you. When you dragging it over?”
“I'm still waiting on parts, so, probably a month or so.”
Piston pulled him into the office to tell him more about his father.
Digital snapshots, printed out in high resolution, littered the walls and cabinets, tacked and taped in place so he could make sure each side matched perfectly. Though the body wouldn't be stock, it also wouldn't be over the top. A larger grill in front to get more air over the intercoolers and radiator. A half dozen modified wings would be tested in a windtunnel, finding the lowest drag and best downdraft.
His new transmission was sitting in a crate, a paddle shift Tiptronic, a different model of one that he had first installed in his Z06.
The Bondo'd and carved body components had been used to make molds. In those molds, he had laid carbon fibre then formed new components. From that, he had slowly smoothed, then had the car painted a purple that faded from one shade to another, so subtly it seemed to be all one color though there were patterns that would be picked up in direct sunlight on only the brightest days.
The different body parts were carefully stacked and ready for placing on the rolling chassis, sporting Volk Special Edition 37s all around in a darker charcoal color than norma. His car was going to bling without looking like a rolling advertisement for theft.
A thick stack of electronics, a hacked up cell phone, and an alarm system had been installed in the new dash system, waiting to be installed and plugged into their ports. The alarm system would dial the phone, contacting the alarm company, allowing it to be tracked via GPS if he didn't press the buttons on the hidden keypad within a minute of starting the car.
He gave up for the day. The engine was almost down. Piston was going to pick up the tranny and the chassis the next day. From there, the rest of the internals would go in, including four race seats to replace the two front and bench in the back.
He finished laying the wire for the sound system, then checked the four screens built into the front seats and the two for the dash and his visor.
He laid down the carpet, then placed the rear seats and rear speakers before he heard Kamon call him in for dinner.
A quick finish of the rear speakers and the back half of the interior was technically done, though the trim and the black and red lights weren't installed yet.
As they ate, Kamon said, “Hiro, I need you to come into town with me tomorrow.”
“But my car.”
“It's about getting you into school,” Kamon lied and his mother said, “I'll take care of your car. I did it often enough for your dad. And wear your charcoal suit with the ivory tie and shirt combo. You look so handsome in that. Just make a list of what's needed to be done.”
Hiro nodded decided to go to bed early. He skipped desert, then went up to his room and spent almost twenty minutes on the phone with Hinata until she had to go take care of Kana. Plugging his phone into the charger, he dropped into his bed and fell off to sleep, wishing he had slept with his lover more than a dozen times in the past few months.
“Oh my god, if you weren't my son.”
Hiro blushed and whined, “Mom, that's so gross.”
She laughed and pulled him down for a kiss on the cheek. “You're so handsome, though. Like your dad. Except for the eyes.” She brushed her hand through his hair and kissed him on the other cheek, this time wiping off the trace of lipstick she left behind.
He grinned, then sat down, draping his jacket over another chair and put a hand towel she handed him into his shirt neck. As he ate, Kamon came down, muttering as he wrote with a stylus into his Smartphone. He looked up for a moment, then looked back down after getting a kiss from Kane.
The phone rang as she was setting the plate down for her husband and she dashed off. “Moshi moshi.”
She held it out to Hiro and he took it then smiled. “Hi, Akira.” A girl he had met while out riding. “Actually, I can't talk now. I have to go in a few minutes.” He figured dating a girl here and there would throw off suspicion of him banging Hinata semi-regularly.
He set the phone on the table and finished eating then went out to look in on his car. He used a pad of Post-it notes to signify which items needed to go into the shop for professional fitting and installment by them.
Kamon walked out, holding Hiro's jacket. “Time to go, son.”
“Hang on a second, Kamaitachi.” The name meant Sickle Weasel and Hiro usually used it to annoy Kamon when he was getting on Hiro's nerves.
His stepfather made a rude gesture in his general direction then walked out to his new Smart Roadster. When Hiro came out to get in, he shook his head at the small car. Sliding in, he pulled his headphones on and closed the door, then Kamon pulled away, tapping his finger to the pop music he was listening to on the stereo.
“Can you do anything to this car?”
Hiro pulled his headphones off. “You want me to mod this car?”
“Well, I was just wondering what could be done to it.”
Hiro thought for a moment. “I'll do some Googling and shit. It could be fun. How far you want to let me go?”
“I lied. The department I'm working for want you to test for their new program.”
Hiro blinked. “Why?”
“They say you have leadership abilities. You can't tell your mother about this, either.”
Hiro nodded as Kamon showed his identification to a JSDF Sergeant. As Hiro looked on, he realized the soldier had a loaded weapon. He wondered how different from America their forces were. In America, only the most secret—while still known to the populace—installations had armed guards. Most were issued weapons but never had magazines in.
Another sergeant took a picture of Hiro and they waited then the sergeant returned with a badge for Hiro. He looked at it. His picture and a magnetic bar next to a barcode. The clip was on a lanyard with s red dot in the exact middle of the white band.
Inside the building, two staff sergeants behind bullet proof glass watched them as Kamon ran his card through a reader. A thick door swung open and they walked inside. Two privates with loaded weapons watched them both run their cards through a turnstile, then walk through.
“What is this place for?”
“It's the headquarters for a multinational cabal of government and a half-dozen corporations. From each country, the top five minds are all working together here and at other satellite offshoots.”
“Actually, I was just about to go out for lunch. Want to come?”
“Sure. Let me grab my keys and make sure everything is off.” She checked to make sure everything was off, then walked out. “That's a beautiful suit.”Hinata preened slightly. She was wearing a tight black skirt with a matching jacket over a fishnet bodysuit. Her heels were the only clothing she wore.
“I like yours better.” Kane was wearing a white pantsuit over a red cami and heels. “It's so... Japanese looking somehow.”
They took Hinata's car since Kane didn't have one yet. They were still waiting for her parking permit to come through. On the way, they made plans to go shopping soon. At the small restaurant, as they ate their salads, sharing a plate of sushi.
“You know, you look so... different lately,” Kane observed. Ever since coming back to Japan, the twos friendship had been rekindled and they usually had tea together at least three times a week while trying to shop together at least once a week as well.
“Well...,” Hinata murmured then blushed. She felt an onrush of adrenaline and sexual excitement as she said, “I've taken a lover.”
Kane's eyes went wide. “Really? Is he handsome? Young?”
She lied about his age. “He's eighteen. And very handsome.”
Kane shook her head. “I've thought about taking a lover once but Kamon is such a wonderful man. I couldn't hurt him.”
“You're lucky. I married an asshole.” Kane patted her hand and asked, “how about we go shopping. Find something very sexy for your boytoy.” She said the last word in English and saw a confused look on Hinata's face. “Boytoy. It's an Amerikan word. It means a young man you use for sex, mainly.”
Hinata grinned. “I like that word. I will remember it.”
As they shopped, Hinata felt delicious chills of perverseness as her friend helped her shop for lingerie the woman's son would be taking off of her.
She gave a slight bow and motioned for him to follow her.
He followed her, watching her bottom sway in her skirt. It looked like it was tighter than regulations called for. Tight enough he could see the outlines of her panties. He ignored it. She wasn't very attractive and he was already sleeping with someone.
In a small room, a large machine took up most of the space. His stepfather was pointing his finger into the face of a tall foreigner, making the man back up. He caught, “-ing happens to him during the test, I'll kill you myself.”
Hiro grinned. “Dad. I'm here.”
Kamon turned away and smiled. “Ah, good. You're here. Um, this simulator will run you through some different... games.” He turned away. “Set up layout one. Hiro, you'll have thirty minutes to learn the layout of the board. Here's a printout of it.” He handed him a laminated mini-poster and pushed him off towards the one corner of the room that wasn't busy. It had a coffee machine next to a soda machine, a tray of tokens in between them. It looked like they were free so he put a few tokens in and got a can of coffee. He almost dropped it when he pulled the tab off and it began heating up, then remembered that it was supposed to.
He studied the printout, glad it was mostly in English, though a few items seemed more like Engrish. The layout was like the flight simulators he had used when he was studying for a pilot's license. Cindy's dad was an instructor had had taught him for a reduced fee.
Finally his stepfather called him over and handed him a helmet, showing him how to connect to the onboard oxygen supply and HUD I/O port.
Sitting in the simulator, they shut the hood and he was completely in the dark until lighted panels came on and an immense FOLED screen turned on, bars of metal hiding small bits of the view.
A woman's voice came through the speakers in the helmet. “Pilot one, you are go for engine ignition.”
He flipped up the toggle for the engine, then closed the lock over it. A vibrator tried to make it feel like he was actually sitting atop a fifty thousand horsepower engine as the screen made it look like he was in an internal hangar, looking out at a dozen fighters, all with stubby wings and rocket engines that looked as if they could rotate, while being able to be directed at different angles. A flight engineer in a spacesuit waved light wands as the woman's voice spoke again. “Pilot one, you are cleared for takeoff.”
Another light began flashing brightly and he pressed the switch. His hands instantly went to the stick then he pulled the left away and pushed the accelerator forward. He wished it had pedals like a car but he knew the floor pedals were for the rudder.
As the 'plane' rocketed forward, a cool blast of highly oxygenated air hit him in the face. He breathed it in, then blinked. He was in 'space.' The woman's voice filled his ears again. “You have fifty minutes to acclimate to the fighter. Fuel and weapons are set to unlimited.”
He blinked, then hesitantly jinked the fighter. A screen appeared, laid over what he was seeing, showing a top down view of the fighter. Better, he thought. Now I can actually see what this thing can do.
Slowly he got used to the controls, finding them to be mostly the same as the simulators he had trained on but a little twitchier and with more time, he was literally flying rings around the neutral fighters in the spacescape.
“Work with the weapons, pilot.”
“Tell me what they are. Chemical reaction isn't going to work in space without oxygen,” he shot back.
His stepfather's voice filled his ears. “The weapons are magnetized plasma bolts fired via railguns under both wings and a variable frequency rail cannon firing AP slugs.”
Hiro nodded then turned his fighter over. Something was shooting at him. He saw it on the radar and hit the afterburners, flying into an asteroid field.
Kamon watched, proud of how Hiro was doing but still worried.
The general walked over to where Kamon stood. “If we lose, he's already dead. If he dies in a fighter, he at least dies a patriot.”
Three Americans walked in, two Navy admirals and a Marine Corps general. The stopped to watch the screen, then walked to join the Japanese general. “You have a minute Kohichi?”
“Pilot, this is not a game. Kill your enemy.”
His stepfather said, “Hiro, kill the pilots. Worry about dancing among the stars later.”
Hiro nodded and found a relative straightaway, then pulled back on the stick, making the engines rotate and flip him without actually navigating other than moving in the direction he had been moving in before. The final enemy shop flew right into his reticles and he let go with the plasma weapons. The hotter-than-the-sun projectiles hit the other ship, slowly eating it away. “Damn. That's some hot shit.”
“Watch your mouth, son. This is being recorded. Close your eyes, we're about to open you up.”
Hiro did as ordered and technicians helped him out as his stepfather called out, “Take him to the sauna. Hiro, relax in there. Corporal, take the printout for layout two.”
“Yes, Sensei,” the corporal said and took a printout. She led him back to the locker room and waited outside as he changed into a towel. From there, she led him to the sauna. Outside the door, she handed him the printout and held the door for him. Inside, he saw it was a printout for how to ride a motorcycle. He almost threw it away until he noticed that it said 'turn over' in Hiragana. Flipping it over, he saw that it had a HUD and discussed how chainguns were activated via biting down on a mouthpiece. “Kinda cool. What's the point, though?”
He was about to get out when there was a knock on the door and the corporal told him, “Sir, they're ready for you.”
He almost joked he was ready for her but didn't, instead rewrapping the towel around himself and walking out. She led him to the changing room and he got back in the flight suit.
“I got it. It was fun. I'm going to go by Piston's then home, alright?”
“Yeah.”
Hiro waved for a taxi and shook his head. Amusing as this had been, playing simulators had been a waste of the day. He wanted his car done so he could start racing.
Hiro dropped the money over the seat back to the driver and walked into Piston's shop. His vehicle was in the middle bay, two people installing his new drive system. He had decided to go all-wheel instead of rear-wheel drive. When Piston saw him, he walked over and said, “That paint job is gorgeous.”
“It took me hours. I'm hoping the refit of the panels doesn't misalign the art.” Even though it had graphics, they were so faint, it looked like it was just dark purple. He had used a paint room at Piston's shop, though after hours so no one had seen it until that day.
“They're machining the block right now.”
“Yeah, I needed to talk to you about the car. Can you send someone over for the rest of the parts? Kamon asked me to pimp out his ride, so I'm going to work on his car in my shop.”
“No problem. It'll cost you, of course.”
Hiro grinned. “I already wrote you a fat check.”
Piston laughed and invited him across the street for a drink.
She smiled and waved, then hugged him. “Onii-chan, wanna play DDR?”
“You can, but I have some research to do. My dad's going to let me upgrade his car.” She pouted but happily followed him in to the house. As she began playing DDR, he sat on the PC, bookmarking sites until he remember where Kamon kept his credit card. Hiro grabbed it then began ordering parts, printing off order sheets. When he was done, he had ordered two different body kits to hack up, new wheels, two off size turbos, new wheels, and better suspension.
His father walked in just as the last file printed off. “Hey, good timing. Here's your credit card and the cost for the new parts.”
Kamon raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. “Works for me. Where's your mother?”
“She left a note. She's out with Hinata-san.”
“Ah. Who makes dinner, then?”
“Don't look at me,” Hiro said. “I'm working on your car for you.”
Kamon laughed and went to call for delivery. He stepped back into the room. “Kana, are you staying for dinner?”
She shrugged. “I don't know. Mom was supposed to be home before I got back. I just came over here because I wanted to play Dance Dance Revolution.”
He nodded and asked, “You like curry?”
“Uh huh, Sensei.”
“Hot or mild?”
She shrugged and he decided on the middle ground.
Twenty minutes later, the food arrived and they sat down to eat, Hiro answering questions from Kana about his car until their mother walked in, carrying takeout and apologizing for being so late. She told Kana her mother was home then sat down with them, very tired looking. “Oh, can I have that?” She was pointing at her husband's curry bread. He nodded and she ate it slowly. “I forgot how the crowds could be during sales.”
Kana hugged them all goodbye then left, jogging home as his mother told them, “I got you both some new shirts. They're in the pink bag.”
Hiro nodded and finished drinking his soup. “I'm going to make sure they got everything out of the garage, then go for a walk, I think.”
“I need to talk to you later,” his stepfather told him. “Try not to be late.”
“How was the interview for school?”
Kamon answered. “The appointment got canceled when we arrived. It had to be reschedule for a month from now.” He had had to wait since for some reason, he had been unable to start school a month late.
Hiro changed into sweats and a tee, then headed out to the garage. He restacked the blankets, then pulled out his phone and sent a short text message. Meet? -Hiro.
A moment later, she called and said she couldn't meet him for a few hours then suggested they go to a hotel the next day if she ended up not being able to get away.
“They want you for the project. If you accept, it will be as if you're at a very private school.”
“What is the project? Playing games?”
“We'll discuss it tomorrow.”
He nodded and walked out. His stepfather seemed to not want to talk. Hiro went up to his room and picked up the latest Naruto. They were enjoyable and let him practice his Japanese. He downloaded the latest raws and printed them out, binding them with staples like a cheap comic book.
As he picked up the remote, his phone rang, playing the battle won tone from Final Fantasy VII. He picked it up and smiled as he said, “Hi, Hinata.”
He appeared and sat down. “I apologize. I had a phone call. Gentlemen, the Outbound Fleet is nine months, four days, thirteen minutes and 47 seconds out as of twelve hundred hours Zulu.
“We have all of the team except for Mentat, the leader. Any progress?”
Kohichi nodded and pointed a remote at a screen. They all turned to look at it. “Hanfuri Hiro. Stepson of Professor Zenaku Kamon. He tested number one on vehicles two through four and second on vehicle one. He has excellent leadership skills, high technical skills, an adequate martial artist, and paintballer as well as sports car tuner not including half a dozen other skills he maintains for hobbies.”
Another image appeared, this one of him in the simulator, riding the motorcycle. “He was able to keep up missing obstacles at over three hundred kilometers per hours, still effectively destroying an enemy fighter and pulling off a very surreal jump.”
The briefing was interrupted as a door opened and light filled the room. The light was interrupted by a tall lanky shape and a corporal turned up the lights. Inside the doorway was an alien, approximately two point seven meters tall, its skin was a pink and red mottle with white eyes speckled with green wearing a loose fitting robe that didn't hide it's slim, almost skeletal frame.
General Tod stood. “Welcome, Imperator Lat'Nil. How may we help you?” the alien's race was the catalyst for Earth's new technology. Unable to actively train them due to their Prime Injunctive, they made it possible for Lat'Nil and a few others to 'crash' on the planet and help them prepare for the Outbound invasion. The Eborians could only watch now that Terra had built their own defenders. Soon the other countries would begin building their own Outbound Rumble Corps.
The alien's voice warbled for a moment, then her translator said, “Good morning, gentleman. I understand you have found the leader?”
“We were just discussing him.”
She nodded and warbled again. “Do no allow me to stop you.”
They left the lights up since her species was unable to see in anything less than bright light without technology that made most human hardware fail.
The conversation continued for almost an hour, most people objecting to using children still, though they all knew the reason. Adult's minds were too set against new things and those who weren't were never suitable for military training since they were usually scientists working on making humanity better.
Soon Kamon was brought in and he hesitated, then gave permission. At that moment, he desperately wished he had not adopted Hiro.
He was in a backseat, installing the last of the lights and trim when his phone rang. Pulling out out, he saw it was Hinata and answered quickly. She asked where he was and once he told her, she said she would be there soon to pick him up.
Hiro wrote down a few last instructions, then cleaned up and went outside to wait. She pulled up in her pearl white Acura CSX. He hated being seen in the car. He despised Hondas and was actually trying to talk her into buy a new car.
As he slid in, they kissed deeply, then she pulled away as his hand softly tickled her nylon clad thigh.
In the hotel, he paid, surprised that there were actually places that did allow you to pay by the hour. They were in the room, kissing, slowly undressing when his phone rang. He scowled and looked at it. Not recognizing the number, Hiro answered as Hinata slowly kissed her way from his ear to his collar bone, nibbling on his shoulder.
“Hello? D-dad? I'm kinda busy—what? I'd really prefer not to.” His father had asked him where he was.
“Send a team.”
Hinata's eyes went wide and he said, “Fuck! Shit! Alright, love, you hide in the bathroom. I'll take care of this.”
She dashed to the bathroom as he pulled his pants on, buckling it as he opened the door. Four JSDF personnel were standing outside the door. One spoke, a lieutenant. “Hanfuri Hiro?” He nodded hesitantly. “Come with us, sir.”
Before he could speak, one of the personnel gathered up his shoes, socks, and shirt, then they hustled him out to a waiting Humvee.
Kamon didn't say anything, just stepped aside. A door behind him slid open. Hiro froze. The aliens streamed into the room in a fluid motion, like heated jelly out of a jar.
“Hiro, these are the Eborians. They're here to help train a corps of fighters to protect our planet. You're the new commander of Outbound Rumble Corps.”
End, Part One.
